Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Leadership transition”

This exploratory interpretive study investigated the lived experience of ten leaders that had recently transitioned from a face-to-face leadership role to a remote leadership role. The main research question was, “What is the lived experience of the leader who has transitioned from face-to-face leadership to remote leadership in a retail sales context?”

Study participants met the following criteria: (1) work for an organization that utilizes a “remote supervision” structure, whether this goes by the term district, region, area, territory, or similar; (2) have supervisory responsibility for at least six separate and distinct locations, but fewer than 25 locations; (3) have supervisory responsibility for locations with a minimum of 10 employees, but a maximum of 100 employees; (4) have transitioned from a face-to-face leadership context to a remote leadership context; and (5) have been in the new remote leadership role for at least six months but no longer than 39 months. These criteria are important and were selected specifically for their alignment with the conceptual frame.

Interviews were conducted with the leaders to learn how they experienced the transition from one role to another. These interviews were conducted using the Seidman (2013) method. The process for representing the data and interpreting the data consisted of five main parts in alignment with an interpretive phenomenological approach, or IPA (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009).

There were four key conclusions from this study: (1) the leaders were able to adapt to their new leadership context as a result of their transition experience; (2) there were common leadership style balances for leaders in this study; (3) the leaders realized that there were subtle, but important communication differences in the remote context; and, (4) trust plays a unique role in remote, transactional leadership. Implications for theory include a new understanding of the balance of transformational and transactional leadership in the remote context. Recommendations for practice include potential new approaches for human resource practitioners.

Understanding New Principals’ Transition to Instructional Leadership The purpose of this study was to understand the instructional leadership role development of new principals. The overarching research question that guided this study was: How do new principals transition into an instructional leadership role? Using a basic qualitative approach, 12 new principals participated in the study. Data collection included a series of three interviews with each principal. Additionally, they were observed enacting an instructional leadership activity.

Novice principals have a repertoire of strategies they use in an effort to improve instruction. They draw on their experiences to inform their instructional leadership initiatives, relying on familiar approaches with which they have experienced success. A lack of preparation for some aspects of the role is a source of role conflict for new principals.

Multiple school stakeholders – students, staff, parents, and district administrators - influence principals’ conceptualizations of their expected role and require principals to negotiate competing demands. Stakeholders’ conceptualizations of the principal’s role complicate instructional improvement efforts. District messages to focus on important instructional matters conflict with school-level messages to focus on urgent non-instructional matters. Principals find themselves juggling the multiple priorities of the role.

Analysis of these findings suggests that principals require increased support to enact the role effectively. Professional development to address skill gaps promotes instructional practices. Additionally, an area for continued research is the exploration of how effective principals reframe schools so that instructional improvement is both important and urgent.

The nonprofit sector has historically faced a multitude of challenges that threaten sustainability. Such continues even today. Nonprofit organizations struggle to respond to changes imposed by external environmental influences. These changes revolve around accountability and resources. With all of this, the sector now faces yet another challenge of a significant executive leadership deficit. During the past ten years to the present, the sector has experienced a mass retirement of baby boomer executives. The nonprofit sector has warned of the leadership deficit. However, nonprofit organizations have failed to urgently respond to the developing leadership void. Nonprofit organizations tend to not address executive leadership needs of the organization until an occurrence of vacancy. While nonprofit organizations are encouraged to utilize successor planning, under utilizing is prevalent. This qualitative research explores nonprofit executive successor planning from a phenomenological approach. The research emphasizes perspectives of twelve nonprofit executives who experienced leadership transition during the years 2008–2012. The research approach is framed by theories of organizational management and human behavior. This research informs the issue of nonprofit successor planning utilization decisions in two areas. One area is the influence of incumbent executives in facilitating successor planning. A second area is consideration of ascribing resource value to the executive position. Such can encourage strategic assessment and planning for future leadership needs. Findings of the research indicate continued under utilization of successor planning characterized by the following: a reality of nonprofit executives facing operational distractions; governing boards avoiding the issue of leadership transition; and nonprofit organizations under utilizing strategic planning.

The Increased Flexibility for Local School Systems Act (O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-80-84) compels traditional Georgia public school leadership to make a choice whether to operate under a vertical hierarchical operational system compelled to adhere to all Georgia laws, rules and regulations created by state level policy makers or to increase the level of accountability in exchange for autonomy in the form of a horizontal partnership operational system as a contract or charter system. It will be important for education policymakers in these systems to have a clear understanding of the essential elements of the transition process to guide their decisions to best meet the needs of the students.

The researcher employed a three-round Delphi study to describe the elements that were part of the process of transitioning to a charter system or an IE ² contract system. The researcher gathered data from a panel of 11 experts, who were directly involved in their school system's transition. The data analysis revealed 89 elements that were rated by at least 80% of the panelists, as important or essential to the transition process.

This qualitative case study explored how secondary special education teachers and transition specialists perceived their collaborative efforts when transitioning students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from secondary to higher education. The theory of transition established the platform for this study. Two of the theoretical principles of situation and support were used as a lens to determine the collaborative perceptions between these two educator groups. The research questions specified educator perceptions of collaboration throughout the transition process and building collaborative relationships. The sample consisted of seven secondary special education teachers and seven transition specialists within the State of Arizona. Data collection sources the secondary transition plan document, semistructured individual interviews and two focus group sessions. Data coding procedures determined specific patterns that emerged in the analysis. A total of seven themes emerged: Collaboration ongoing, team effort, unrealistic expectations affect transition, attitude of specialists affecting student success, trust is vital to building relationships, lack of knowledge in preparing students during transition, and the importance of parental involvement throughout the transition process. The results that provided the greatest influence to the collaborative process included parental involvement and relationships, trust building between educators, continued training, provision of resources, and the development of the transition plan. The implications of this study suggested that educational organizations provide opportunities for these specialists to attend trainings for continued professional development.

• The researched leaders possess similar skills to those which are critical in delivering on company values, as suggested by the literature.
• Some skills which might have been developed in the struggle are valuable to industry and can be transferred between both the private sector and the public sector.
• Their personal values, rather than a political ideology, guided the researched leaders’ behaviour.
• The impact of moving between the spheres was seen to have a negative effect on the respondents due to different demands based on flexibility versus control, and internal focus versus external focus (as demonstrated by the Competing Values Framework of Leadership Roles)

Healthcare management is an industry where skill sets are incremental, and Registered Nurses (RNs) must gain their clinical skills before they develop their management skills. Professional training for management-bound RNs seldom comprises more than a few disjointed days or weeklong development seminars, which is valuable but inadequate. The purpose of this original basic qualitative study, which employed Husserl and Heidegger’s approach of phenomenology, was to explore the lived experiences of staff RNs who transitioned into the Clinical Nursing Supervisor (Nurse Manager) role within a small rural community hospital in North Carolina. Semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions were utilized to collect rich, contextual data until data saturation occurred. Open and axial coding of the data, documented in a code/theme frequency table, facilitated the discovery of central themes within the data including: a lack of orientation to the new role; inconsistent expectations of the new role; the benefits of a formal program or structured orientation for the new role, and a need to focus the hospital administration on formal leadership orientation and succession planning. The evidence from this original basic qualitative study aligns with the published literature regarding the transition from a staff RN role into a nursing leadership role and supports making a proposal to the hospital’s administration for a systems-oriented Clinical Nursing Supervisor training opportunity such as a 90-day nursing leadership orientation that included formal classes on budgeting, common human resource management issues, and how to evaluate staff. This formalized training, in concert with one-on-one mentoring with experienced Clinical Nursing Supervisors, would ensure a smoother transition from the staff RN role into a Clinical Nursing Supervisor role and would produce more efficient, more satisfied nursing leadership professionals who are more inclined to stay with the organization that helped their career growth.

First-generation Latina students are applying to four-year universities; however, they are doing so in low numbers. Those who do apply, select community colleges and Familismo and Marianismo may be hindering them from pursuing four-year schools. Research on first-generation Latina students is replete with data collected from first year college students, but seldom do researchers study first-generation Latina high school students who may be experiencing family expectations and responsibilities limiting their college aspirations and preparation.

This study uses a qualitative participatory action research design to interview and survey first-generation Latina ninth grade students. It examined preconceptions and cultural limitations that restricted college aspirations. It also piloted a counseling program to possibly mitigate the effects of Familismo and Marianismo on their college aspirations and preparation.

Findings and recommendations indicate the need for more culturally competent counseling, hiring of more diverse personnel, and adopting Place Based Education (PBE) to the already existing American School Counseling Association (ASCA) standards. Findings from this study have potential to impact counselors and educational leaders in how best to support first-generation Latina high school students.

This basic qualitative study sought to understand the supports and procedures special education teachers were using to write transition Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities ranging from 16-21 years of age. The focus of the study was to explore the supports and procedures used by the special educators for writing transition IEPs that are compliant with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the federal compliance indicator, Indicator 13. Data were collected using purposive nonprobability and network sampling methods to recruit the 14 special educators who teach in a K-12 school district, case manage students with disabilities ages 16-21, write compliant transition IEPs, and have taught for three or more years. The participants from a Midwestern state in the United States were asked interview questions in face-to-face, semistructured, and individualized interviews. Data from the interviews indicated that special educators are including information from transition assessments, gaining insights from training opportunities, collaborating with colleagues, retrieving information from websites, using examples, accessing special education unit or district supports to write compliant transition IEPs for students with disabilities. Although special educators indicated a variety of different supports and procedures, there were clear barriers to continually writing compliant transition IEPs, with the greatest barriers being the need for better training and resources. The results of the study provide an opportunity for further exploration and understanding of supports and procedures special educators are using to write compliant transition IEPs. Future research is recommended to determine if the results of this study correspond to the supports and procedures special educators are using in other states to write compliant transition IEPs and to analyze why particular age-appropriate transition assessments are being used to support the transition planning for students with disabilities.

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was the identification of teachers’ perceptions of professional development during the transition to and implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the classroom. National reform efforts driven by an increased need for skill acquisition applicable to diverse needs in an ever-expanding global economy and increased demands for teacher accountability in the realm of student achievement requires additional teacher professional development. This study applied the constructs of social learning theory and constructivism in developing both the research questions and subsequent interview questions used during the data collection phase. Identification of overarching themes and patterns in participant responses provided crucial information relevant to the ongoing development of teacher professional development training opportunities from which teachers improve and expand pedagogical knowledge while applying CCSS in classroom instruction. The key emergent these derived from data analysis include, Theme 1: Sharing informational resources; Theme 2: Engagement and active participation; Theme 3: Collaboration enhances implementation; and Theme 4: Implementation and support. This study has the prospective to provide positive progress in the development and delivery of professional development aligned to teachers’ stated interests and concerns.

In this autoethnography, I examine the challenges I faced as a private-to-public-sector novice CFO entering a resource-constrained 41-thousand-student K-12 urban school district in Colorado. This study chronicles how I deliberately slowed down my interactions within a complex adaptive system (CAS) through ethnographic interviewing to identify the relationships, processes, and tools; and create the conditions necessary to align and optimize resources at the district level to improve student outcomes. There is scant research on how a new K-12 education CFO transitions from a traditional budget-manager approach toward one that promotes inquiry and cost-effectiveness.

Unlike CFOs in the private sector, oftentimes I was estranged from strategic and capital-allocation decisions, particularly around instruction. I lacked the time, skilled staff, and resources to perform fundamental cost-benefit analyses.

I had come to work in a school system after obtaining an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and working in Wall Street for 20 years. Having no experience working in the public sector more generally or education more specifically, I came with a particular mindset and approach not altogether suited for this environment. Consequently, my transition to this new milieu was quite chaotic. I intentionally embraced entry planning as a way to make sense of a CAS that oftentimes defied comprehensive analysis.

I learned, slowly, that successful entry required intellectual rigor and emotional sensitivity. I repeatedly found that interventions based on adaptive change that fundamentally shifts how works gets done increased employees’ anxiety. I assumed the roles of researcher, learner, and knower in evolving an induction approach that recognized entry never stopped because the CAS never rested.

I explore entry through three case studies. The first of these pertains to my participation in Teachers’ Master Agreement Negotiations; the second centers on my engagement with Nutrition Services, a low-status but high-value allocator of resources; and the third analyzes how I merged the roles of CFO and educator to increase my district’s understanding of municipal-bond finance in preparation for a general-obligation bond offering.

Keywords: CFO entry; entry planning; complex adaptive systems; teachers’ negotiations; nutrition services; school finance

Education changed its focus to ensuring high school graduates are college and career ready. The Texas Education Agency and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board set college and career readiness standards for administrators and teachers to emphasize. Since funding for fine arts in public schools has been fluctuating, school leaders in smaller districts should determine how best to utilize not only the mandated high school credit, but also additional fine arts offerings. The purpose of the current study was to examine high school graduates’ perceptions of the development of soft skills in a limited fine arts program and applying those skills as students transitioned to post-secondary education. Data collection included high school graduates’ interviews, fine arts teachers’ interviews, and an administrator interview. NVivo 10 was used for data management and for analysis. Data analysis revealed that graduate students involved in fine arts not only thought it possible to develop communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking, but that having been involved in band, art, one-act play, and speech events aided in their transition to college.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the transition to higher education for undocumented immigrant students as part of the social investment in human capital. Each year, approximately 65,000 undocumented students in the United States graduate from public schools and only a low percentage pursue higher education. The study conducted in Massachusetts presents evidence of social transformation as participants were also affiliated with SIM (Student Immigrant Movement), to advocate for higher education opportunities for undocumented students, and change social perceptions of undocumented population. The participants’ experiences are analyzed using social theories of transmission and transformation along with human capital theory. Data were analyzed using NVivo9 software and multiple readings of the interview transcripts, with guiding research question, how did the immigration status play a role in the pursuit of access to higher education? The analysis in this study is focused on the investment in human capital through education, considering that the individual and social return ought to be greater. The data gathered from the experiences of 20 formerly undocumented students of Latin American descent in this qualitative case study showed that possibilities of changing immigrant status, like the proposed DREAM Act, influenced the motivation to continue education beyond high school. The major themes among the participants’ descriptions of their educational experiences as students were related to (a) immigrant status, (b) motivation to continue their postsecondary education, (c) support they received to continue with their education, (d) social return on their educational investment, and (e) their plans for the future. Recommendations for leaders and policy makers are presented, and suggestions for further research are indicated.

Doctoral student attrition was calculated at approximately 50% or greater for nearly 50 years. Exceptionally high attrition in the social sciences, humanities, and online programs was identified. The cost to students, institutions and society was of significant concern. Most students were found capable of degree completion. The median timeframe for completion was approximately 7.9 -12.7 years. Long-term student persistence was relevant to theories of social exchange, person-organization fit, positive psychology, self-determination, suicide theory, organizational support, connectivism, persistence, failure, choice and goal theory, and the theory of involvement. Critically, higher education was viewed as an employment strategy. Students continually analyze the cost benefit of attendance, their perception of time to reward, and the reliability of the reward to provide value. The institution was considered accountable for student resilience. Program alignment with career opportunities, proactive transition management, sustainable interventions, non-academic mentoring, and occupational socialization were essential to persistence. Missing were parameters for a university-wide infrastructure to manage supporting activities, particularly partnerships with industry to facilitate long-term occupational socialization through mentoring. Corporate learning partnerships and human capital management strategies were briefly explored. A university-based doctoral student support center was structured using management and value-system models. Leadership, accountability, costs, and funding were considered in system building. Mixed-method interviews of 75-120 minutes were conducted with 15 managers with relevant experience. Approaches to partners and providing ROI required understanding organizational values and culture. Long-term partnerships supporting part-time online doctoral students appeared sustainable, and stable protocol for partnership management was identified.